Take the "14-Minute Prayer Challenge" with Lima Life Teen

As we begin our New Year making resolutions about different areas in our life, let's really try to make our faith our number one priority.

I strongly believe that if we can make a commitment to pray just 14 minutes a day our life can truly be changed.  So, Lima Life Teen, Total Youth Ministry is inviting you to take the "Prayer Challenge" with us.  We are asking everyone to just take 14 minutes out of your day to pray.  Your prayers don't have to be perfect, just spend 14 minutes talking to God.  We will have many prayers, bible studies and inspirational music on our website at limalifeteen.com or our Lima Life Teen app for Droid or iphones.

          So everyone please join us in making this New Year a powerful year of prayer.  Watch for updates and new information.  We will have lots of different ways for every person in our Parish to participate! 

          To start you off we would like to leave you with one of the prayers that Lima Life Teen is committed to pray each day of 2014:

          I pray to you, God the Holy Spirit, and I give all of myself to you.  I worship you for you are pure, just and powerful as love.  You are my strength. You are my guide.  I ask for you to surround me and change me.  Change my mind to think like Jesus.  Change my body to act like Jesus.  Change my heart to love like Jesus.  Give me the ears to hear your voice guiding me, and when I hear your voice, may I obey.  Make me holy and joyful.  Give me the courage I need to live as a missionary.  May people come to know Jesus because I am in their lives.  Amen

 Happy New Year and God's blessings,

Angie Soules

Go to the Lima Life Teen Website for Prayers and Songs of Praise and Worship

Angie Speaks - Scripture of the day:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery... 1 John 3:1 “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. “

I remember one time my heroine, my Grandmother asked me what is wrong.  I said, "I just don't think anyone likes me and I don't really like myself."  In my grandmother’s strong Kentucky voice she said, "Angie if you can't say anything or think of anything good about yourself.....then just say I am Sue Crisp’s granddaughter.”  That is exactly what 1 John 1:3 is saying.  NO, matter what you may be feeling about yourself or what others may think of you...YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD.  Simply being God's child makes you good enough.

Love you all!

ANGIE SPEAKS! 

Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery

Yesterday, I spent some time listening to one of my favorite songs over and over, Redemption song, by Bob Marley. My favorite line in the song is “emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds”. 

I know that a lot of folks find that line “cool” and some even consider it one of your favorite quotes. We feel all empowered when we hear it, and find ourselves saying yes. But I wonder if we really understand what it means to be mentally enslaved? –Do you really get what the line is really saying? Really? It is all up to you! It’s not about the man or someone else it is what you are choosing to do to yourself. It is anytime that we allow society to tell us who we are or aren’t. It is when we allow our culture to spoon feed us their idea of what good enough is. It is anytime we say that we don’t know our purpose, our power or our awesomeness. It is when we are not walking as a child of God with all the benefits of the King. 

 How do you truly emancipate ourselves from mental slavery? Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God- what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We need to take some time each day and truly find out who it is that God says we are. So this summer I will be sharing a scripture each day or a quote each day regarding who you really are. Transforming our minds isn’t enough. You need to accept that you were created for a purpose and act on it. Let’s face it, a lot of individuals choose not to walk in freedom because it takes a lot of hard work. They would rather be consumed by this culture and all its offerings so they have someone to blame when they don’t try. It’s not easy but you are the one that must free your mind by choosing to believe that God created you with purpose and God has a plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord,’ plans  to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.”

So today, my prayer for you, is that you have the courage to choose to emancipate yourself from mental slavery and free your mind.